Hudson Valley siblings carve individual paths to success at community college
QUEENSBURY, New York (Jan. 23, 2024) — Kelsey, Toby and Emma Greer agreed on one thing about college: the North Chatham triplets didn’t want to attend the same school.
While visiting their family’s cabin on Schroon River their senior year of high school, they stumbled upon SUNY Adirondack.
"We never wanted to go to the same college, but then we saw this school and were like, 'Yup,'" said Kelsey, who is one minute younger than her brother, Toby, and one minute older than her sister, Emma.
"Actually, they saw it and said, 'This would be a good school for Emma for Nursing,' and then you all liked the school," Emma said.
“Then we said, 'This would actually be pretty good for everybody,'" Toby said. "We definitely did not want to go to the same school, but then we all wanted to go to the same school."
Two of the Greers graduated in December — Kelsey with a degree in Hospitality Management and Toby in Individual Studies. Emma is scheduled to graduate from the college’s rigorous Nursing program in May.
Despite the three never planning to live in the same residence hall or even on the same campus, they are grateful they discovered SUNY Adirondack.
"Every professor I've had has just been extraordinary," Toby said. "You're not going to get that kind of awesome relationship with professors at a bigger college."
Toby started SUNY Adirondack without any idea what he wanted as a career path. "I took a spattering of courses; I didn't know what I wanted to do until [Fall 2023] semester," said Toby, who was a resident assistant, an active member of Student Senate and president of the Fishing Club, sang in the college choir and brought to life Eddy Rondack, the college's Timberwolf mascot. "I really got to experience all the different offerings on campus."
Over the summer, he worked at his aunt's veterinary clinic and found his passion. Toby, who will transfer to University of Vermont, said it wasn't a surprise he would pursue veterinary medicine, given the love for biology he and his mother shared throughout his childhood and the array of pets the Greer family had over the years.
Kelsey started ticking off: "Three dogs, four cats, but two just passed away, we had a squirrel if that will tell you what kind of pets we have, a hedgehog, lizards, reptiles, hamsters, guinea pigs, I have a tortoise, a bunch of chickens, ducks, parrots … but I have a dog I love, Darwin, who is a Sheltie and Pomeranian."
"Rats," Emma offered.
"You had rats; I didn’t," asserted Kelsey, at which point Toby chimed in, "Kelsey learned to talk first, and when we were little she'd make an announcement of what the three of us were to do and we’d just do it," a phenomenon Emma summed up: "She's the boss; kinda how it's always been."
Unlike her siblings, Kelsey was drawn to business. "Because, no thank you, science," she said. "I've always known I wanted to do business. I've always followed in my dad's footsteps; he's an inspiration to me."
William Greer is director of Franchise Operations for Five Guys and Kelsey said, "I've watched him grow in the industry, and I like that he gets to travel a lot and gets to help other people figure out any issues."
Kelsey was named SUNY Adirondack’s Hospitality Management Marketing Student of the Year, worked at the on-campus day care center and had an internship at Courtyard by Marriott in Lake George.
"I learned a lot of outside real-life things I will need to know, which is really important to me," Kelsey said. "Every day I've been here, I'm learning something I will keep with me forever."
Emma agreed, saying her classes are difficult, but added, "The nursing professors are amazing and will do anything to aid in getting you through the program."
She has been interested in medicine since high school, when she participated in a health careers honors program. "I've had health conditions that made me realize I want to be an advocate for patients," she said, noting that as a 32-week premie, she might pursue the neonatal nursing field. "I’m thinking it may be nice, going back to where we came from."
Emma played on the college’s volleyball team, an experience she said was incredible. She was team captain in the Fall 2023 season. "It's another way for you to have the experience of being on a team and it's your family away from home," she said.
Even if she was never far from her brother and sister.
